Jackson County is named for Andrew Jackson, who was the President of the United States from 1829 to 1837.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Eaton County and Ingham County
E – Washtenaw County
S – Lenawee County and Hillsdale County
W – Calhoun County
Created: October 29, 1829
County Seat:
Jackson 1832 – present
County Justice Center – Jackson
Location: 312 South Jackson Street / West Washington Street
Built: 1927 – 1928
Style: Classical Revival
Architect: Claire Allen and Sons of Jackson
Contractor: Unknown
Description: The building faces east and is a five story red colored brick and stone structure. The building is located in the center of Jackson. The first story has white colored stone and the east front has decorative stonework rising to the top of the third story. The roof line is flat. The building was constructed as the Elks Temple and was purchased in 1935 and occupied in 1937. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 4th Judicial District, County District Court and County Probate Court.
County Administration Building – Jackson
Location: 120 West Michigan Avenue / South Mechanic Street
Built: 1927 – 1929
Style: Classical Revival / Art Deco
Architect: Albert Kahn Associates, Inc. of Detroit
Contractor: Unknown
Description: The building faces south and is a seventeen story brick and concrete structure. The building is located in the center of Jackson. The building was constructed as the Union and Pacific National Bank Building and was sold to the county in 1975. The building is named as the Jackson County Tower Building.
History: The county was created in 1829 and was attached to Washtenaw County for judicial purposes. Jackson was selected as the county seat in 1832 when the county was organized. The court first met in 1832 at the log home of Horace Blackman. The first courthouse was a stone structure built by Sheriff A B Gibson, David Porter and Leonard House in 1836 to 1837 at a cost of $10,000. The second courthouse was a four story stone structure built in 1871. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1927 to 1928 as the Elk’s Lodge and purchased by the county in 1935 and renovated at a cost of $360,000.
See: Michigan’s County Courthouses by John Fedynsky
County Courthouse – Jackson
County Administration Building – Jackson
Photos taken 2008 and 2014
Images 6